IPPOG and spin-offs from particle and nuclear physics

While the mandate of particle physics research institutes is fundamental research, the developed technologies find applications for the benefit of society. With the aim to highlight their impact on medical applications and, in particular, on cancer treatment, the Particle Therapy MasterClass (PTMC) package was developed and integrated into the International MasterClass 2021 (IMC) online programme, attracting immediately some 37 institutes from 20 countries and more than 1500 students. The PTMC, focusing on the topic of cancer treatment, a particularly sensitive topic, is becoming increasingly popular, attracting the interest of students and tutors alike. The main idea is to show that (a) fundamental properties of particle interactions with matter, which are used to detect them in physics experiments, are also the basis for treating cancer tumours; and (b) the same accelerator technologies are used in both research laboratories and therapy centres. Ultimately students are shown “what physics has to do with medicine” and what are the various possibilities that physics and STEM studies may open up for job opportunities in fields that there is lack of expert personnel. The PTMC is indeed put forward, as a tangible example of benefits to society from fundamental research by IPPOG, the International Particle Physics Outreach Group, complementing is main mission to bring the excitement of particle physics to the public and especially to the young generation. Another example along these lines is the effort of the IPPOG working group “Outreach of applications for society”. Its objective is to create a collection of short stories, covering a wide spectrum of spin-offs from particle and nuclear physics fields. The ultimate goal is to connect fundamental research to everyday life and provide a practical communication tool for the science outreach community.